In one of my earlier posts, I talked about how the referees were deciding the FIFA World Cup's games instead of the players themselves. It turns out, the FIFA has also been noticing this. According to Yahoo Sports, Referee Koman Coulibaly was left out of the list for the next FIFA World Cup games.
Embattled ref to miss upcoming matches
PRETORIA, South Africa – Controversial referee Koman Coulibaly was left off FIFA’s list for the next batch of World Cup matches following the error that likely cost the United States a victory against Slovenia.
Yahoo! Sports revealed on Friday that Coulibaly was “highly unlikely” to take any further part in the tournament after being given a poor evaluation by assessors following his decision to disallow Maurice Edu’s 85th-minute goal. FIFA confirmed Sunday that Coulibaly will not play any part in Tuesday or Wednesday’s matches, which will include the USA’s critical Group C finale against Algeria.
Instead, as they step into the arena of Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday with their World Cup life at stake, the Americans will be officiated by a man who has just witnessed a combat far more brutal than any game in the tournament.
Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere will prepare himself for the occasion by watching a DVD of the movie “Gladiator” before taking center stage in a game that decides the USA’s destiny – with a victory guaranteed to put the Americans through to the round of 16.
FIFA deliberately assigned De Bleeckere, a highly experienced and respected referee, to this game in response to the storm of controversy that came after the United States’ 2-2 draw with Slovenia. De Bleeckere has been in charge of big matches many times in the past, most notably a Champions League clash between Chelsea and Barcelona in 2006 which came a year after a pair of explosive matches between those European super clubs.
“I don’t look at reputation or anything that has gone before,” De Bleeckere said. “I will watch the previous games of USA and Algeria to help me understand their tactics and work on my positioning. But I will watch ‘Gladiator’ first.”
Referees at the tournament have come under heavy criticism after a series of bad calls compounded by a stubborn refusal to explain their actions publicly.
On Monday, the FIFA referee committee tried to go on a charm offensive by inviting the media to an open day but totally defeated the object of the exercise by refusing to answer questions about specific decisions.
Neither Coulibaly nor Stephane Lannoy – the French referee who erred in sending off Brazil’s Kaka against the Ivory Coast on Sunday – were present. Coulibaly’s assistant, Inacio Candido of Angola, was in attendance.
When asked if the controversy following the Edu no-goal had affected Coulibaly, Candido replied: “A referee is like a player. When they lose an opportunity to score a goal, they put it behind them.”
Source
Koman Coulibaly (born 4 July 1970) is a Malian football referee. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 1999, and officiated his first international match on April 19, 2000, between Mali and Burkina Faso. Coulibaly is one of Mali's most experienced officials, having been selected for five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[1] He is best known for controversially disallowing a goal in the 2010 World Cup match between USA and Slovenia.
Wikipedia
It seems the sentiment is the same on Twitter:
andrewgooding: In a historic first, FIFA referee Koman Coulibaly accepted today's Man of the Match award for his defensive efforts for the Slovenia squad
williamfleitch:I think Koman Coulibaly should be happy his awful call went against the U.S., rather than, say, Colombia.
LBetanzo: USA: Koman Coulibaly Out Through Wednesday: Which is essentially just a hair away from sharing a towncar with Nico... http://bit.ly/9ZhZA7
fifawcnews: Koman Coulibaly Out Through Wednesday: Which is essentially just a hair away from sharing a towncar with Nicolas A... http://bit.ly/b5GdQY
twiddlesticker: Koman Coulibaly removed from FIFA's referee list in disgrace after the U.S.-Slovenia travesty (not his first). Success!
Former student at the Faculté des Sciences Juridiques et Économiques Koman Coulibaly has been busy since he started his referee career in 1993. He received his FIFA badge at the early age of 28.
Africa Cup
Coulibaly holds the record of 5 appearances in African Cups with fellow Mail referee Drissa Traoré. Coulibaly was selected for the Africa Cup of nations in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He got the final of that last one.
And there were many many more matches, see his palmares.
South Africa
Coulibaly is selected for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Source
Still on Twitter:
thomasknudson
Good riddance to bad ref http://bit.ly/dyGTpF go USA!
UtahPress
U.S.-Slovenia referee Koman Coulibaly left out of next World Cup matches: Soccer's governing body left World Cup r... http://bit.ly/9hOfAq
russakoffrules
Sure, Koman Coulibaly blew it. But for the U.S., that may actually be a good thing. http://bit.ly/9iVvy0
bargains_us
world-cup: World Cup: Koman Coulibaly Benched Through Wednesday - Globe and Mail: Los Angeles TimesWorld Cup: Koma... http://bit.ly/drZv2j
russakoffrules
Sure, Koman Coulibaly blew it. But for the U.S., that may actually be a good thing. http://bit.ly/9iVvy0
lotsofjobs
Tom Pfingsten: What Koman Coulibaly's Blown Call Says About Us http://bit.ly/d3OLGq
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